Encouragement Corner

The difference between try and triumph is just a little umph!
Marvin Phillips

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Exercise/Fitness Tip

I challenge you again to set at least 3 weight loss/fitness goals for May. 

Will you take the water challenge and make it a goal to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day? 

How about setting a goal to do some form of exercise at least 3 days a week? 

Will you keep track of what you eat and count your calories in a food journal? 

Choose your goal(s) and go for it.

*If this newsletter was passed on to you and you would like to join our mailing list, feel free to subscribe here.

Notes from Angie:

Welcome to the "Losing It and Loving It" (LIALI) newsletter.  I
hope you will find the info in this newsletter to be of interest to
you.  If you would like to see anything special in any of our
upcoming issues, please email me.  I would love your feedback. Is there someone you know who could benefit from this newsletter?  Please feel free to pass this newsletter link on to them.

You might have noticed that the whole look of my website is different. There are still changes left to go and I have added a weight loss and fitness blog so I hope you'll drop by to check it out.  Feel free to comment too!

Featured Article

How Does Food Affect our Sleep?

If you are suffering from insomnia you are ready to try just about anything to be able to fall asleep. The endless tossing and turning can be agonizing, so we often turn to sleep medication to get some much needed rest. Instead, the solution may be found in what we eat. It is worth taking a look at how food affects our sleep. Wouldn't it be nice if you could just open the fridge to help you fall asleep instead of a pill bottle?

We all know that food can make us sleepy, just think about Thanksgiving. After eating a big turkey dinner, it’s hard to do anything but lie down and take a nap. This is because of a chemical tryptophan, which allows your body to produce an amino acid called L-Tryptophan. This amino acid is essential in the production of the neurotransmitters serotonin and melatonin. Both of them help slow down the nerve traffic in your brain. This helps you to relax and allows you to think less and drift off into sleep.

Of course eating a big plate of turkey before bed every single night isn't an option. Thankfully, turkey isn’t the only source of tryptophan. This chemical is also found in dairy products, soy, meat (especially poultry), nuts, fish, beans, eggs, hummus and most other high-protein foods. Eating a small amount of  foods that are rich in protein shortly before bed time can help you sleep soundly.

The problem with many of the foods that contain tryptophan is that they also contain an amino acid called tyrosine. This produces chemicals that perk you up and make you more energized. Eaten alone, these acids will counteract each other produce no significant effects in either direction. The key to getting rest is to eat other foods that will allow you to utilize the tryptophan and not the tyrosine.

Excellent foods for accomplishing this effect are carbohydrates. They encourage your body to produce insulin which “ties up” the tyrosine and allows the tryptophan to reach the brain without competition. Just be sure to avoid too large amounts of carbs and simple sugars. You can produce too much insulin; causing you to wake up not long after you’ve fallen asleep.

Another way to get the full benefit of tryptophan is to eat foods that will increase your brain’s absorption of this amino acid. The best way to do this is with calcium. And we already learned that dairy products are a great source of tryptophan. This is why our mother’s always gave us a warm glass of milk at night to help us rest; because it works.

So, if you just can’t seem to settle down and get to sleep, try a late night meal containing nature’s sleeping pill: tryptophan. Just remember not too eat too much at night or you’ll likely wake up a few hours later. The most effective plan is to have a moderately sized dinner and a small snack an hour or two before bed. If you eat the right foods at bedtime, you’ll bed drifting off to dreamland in no time.

Your Secret Weapon for a Healthy Eating Lifestyle

Would you like us to help you cook healthier for your entire family? Join the Healthy Menu Mailer today. We will send you 7 healthy dinner recipes a week with a grocery list to go along with it. Start with our Healthy Menu Mailer.

In The Kitchen

Garlic Sweet Potato Mash

Sweet potatoes are packed with vitamins and is a great “skin” food.  Garlic has strong antioxidant vitamins and gives this mash a rich flavor. 

4 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and cubed
3 tablespoons unsalted real butter
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Salt and black pepper to taste

Place the sweet potatoes in a large pan of salted boiling water.  Cook for approximately 15 minutes or until tender.  Drain and set aside.  Melt the butter in a saucepan and sauté the garlic over low heat for about 1 to 2 minutes.  Stir often and don’t let the garlic burn as it will taste very bitter.

Now pour the garlic butter over the sweet potatoes, season with salt and pepper and mash until creamy. 

Serve immediately.

Note:  If the mash is too thick, add a little vegetable broth or warm milk to make a creamier texture.

In Closing:

Hope you enjoyed the article and recipe in this issue.  Once again
if there is anything you would like to see in future issues of the
Losing It and Loving It newsletter, I would love to hear from you.